Media releases

The UN Human Rights Committee has made a powerful call to recognise the human rights of intersex people, including through ending irreversible medical treatment that is not absolutely medically necessary, and that takes place before a child can comprehend and provide informed consent.

We announce publication of a joint consensus statement, the “Darlington Statement”, by Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand intersex organisations and independent advocates, in March 2017. It sets out common priorities and calls to action by the intersex human rights movement in our countries.

The Board of OII Australia is excited to announce that, after many years of operating entirely through the work of volunteers, our two co-chairs will become our joint Executive Directors as of 1 December 2016.

In the wake of some objectifying news coverage of intersex bodies in Australian, UK and international media, Phoebe Hart of the AISSGA writes an important piece on “My intersex body: more than an object of fascination or repulsion to be ‘fixed’” in the UK Independent newspaper. While I am sure Dr Michael Mosely’s account of… Read more →

We congratulate the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice on the launch of a world first intersex-focused philanthropic fund. Research by Global Action for Trans* Equality and the American Jewish World Service in 2013 found that the funding available for intersex human rights work amounted to just over US$40,000, and “intersex-led groups have a median annual… Read more →

Overnight, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a new report, “Discrimination and violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity”, A/HRC/29/23, which includes detailed reference to intersex and other LGBTI persons. OII Australia warmly welcomes this report, which for the first time calls for an… Read more →

We warmly congratulate the Council of Europe, Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks, and report author Silvan Agius for a landmark report on the human rights of people with intersex variations. The report contains 8 clear and simple recommendations, and strong analysis. Binary classifications of sex and gender are omnipresent in our society and inform… Read more →

Folks at the University of New England, OII Australia, the AISSGA, and the National LGBTI Health Alliance have collaborated to create a detailed initial study of the circumstances, histories and needs of people born with atypical sex characteristics. The project has a joint reference group with community involvement. We’re sure that there imperfections, but we’re… Read more →

OII Australia joins with our European intersex and trans partner organisations in celebrating the passage of the Gender Identity Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act. The Act passed with cross party support, without a vote, in the small hours of this morning. This is an historic moment. The Act contains key improvements from all existing… Read more →

In October this year, the Maltese government launched a consultation exercise regarding a new Gender Identity Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Bill (“GIGESC”). The Bill is ground-breaking and, if passed as we hope, it will: create a “right to bodily integrity and physical autonomy for all persons”. make unlawful “non-medically necessary treatment on the sex… Read more →

OII Australia is proud and delighted to partner with Pride in Diversity to publish the Employers’ guide to intersex inclusion. Written by Morgan Carpenter and Dawn Hough, the guide is kindly sponsored by IBM. A world-first, the guide presents information about intersex for employers and is available as a free PDF download…